Parents say

Kids say

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X of Y

X of Y

X of Y

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

Educational Value

Kids can learn a little about responsibility and the importance of taking care of another creature. If left alone, Pou will die from starvation or exhaustion. Kids need to check in with him frequently -- and play with him -- to ensure he's safe and happy. While the experience isn't deep, Pou's virtual-pet gameplay shows kids that taking care of a creature requires responsibility and that there are consequences for not following through.

Ease of Play

The game offers only rudimentary instructions on taking care of the virtual pet, but it's pretty self-explanatory. Games are offshoots of other popular titles, so will likely be familiar to kids.

Violence & Scariness

Pou can fall in a Doodle Jump like game -- and can starve to death if he is not fed.

Sexy Stuff

Language

Players can record themselves and have Pou repeat what they say, including iffy words.

Consumerism

Players are encouraged to buy extras for their virtual pet (and, in the case of food, they're required to do so). You can win in-game tokens by playing games, or you can buy them using real-world cash.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Pou is a Tamagachi-like game, where players must entertain, feed and bathe an amorphous creature. The point of the app is to teach responsibility, though there are visible effects of shirking those duties, which could be more amusing for some kids (i.e Pou gets dirty and his eyes get very shaky and large when he's hungry or tired). There are also in-app purchase opportunities that kids may take advantage of to improve their Pou.

What's it about?

Players must take care of a Pou, an amorphous creature that is under their care, ensuring that it's bathed, plays, sleeps, and eats. Feeding is a matter of dragging and dropping food to its mouth, while sleep requires swiping to another room of the house and turning off the lights. The games vary, but most are direct offshoots of popular apps (like Doodle Jump), which makes them easy for kids to learn.

Is it any good?

Some adults will hate Pou, but their kids will probably love it. Like any Tamagotchi game, there's the thrill of responsibility and the reward of seeing your Pou grow. Some kids, though, might enjoy torturing the creature and watching it suffer.

Kids will like the games included in the app, in part because they're quite simplistic and offshoots of popular real-world sports (like soccer) or popular apps (like Doodle Jump). There's also a talkback feature, where the creature will repeat what kids say into their device's microphone -- something sure to engage young ones. And the ability to change the creature's look will charm them as well. Just keep an eye on their coins, as the urge to spend real-world money on these virtual items will likely be high for them.

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